{"id":4934,"date":"2015-02-14T22:12:03","date_gmt":"2015-02-15T05:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/?p=4934"},"modified":"2017-01-28T21:30:45","modified_gmt":"2017-01-29T04:30:45","slug":"w0cfr049-centralia-mountain-2980-9795-ft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/sota-trip-report\/w0cfr049-centralia-mountain-2980-9795-ft\/","title":{"rendered":"W\u00d8C\/FR-\u00d849 (Centralia Mountain) – 2986 m \/ 9795 ft"},"content":{"rendered":"

W0C\/FR-049
\nCentralia Mountain
\n2986 M \/ 9795 FT
\nSep 26, 2013 First Activation
\nMay 26, 2014 Second Activation<\/p>\n

by KX0R<\/p>\n

Centralia Mountain<\/a> is a prominent peak located just south of Golden Gate Canyon State Park<\/a> west of Denver.<\/p>\n

\"Centralia<\/a>

Centralia Mountain from Visitor Point<\/p><\/div>\n

There are several roads to the Park \u2013 start by driving to Golden. Follow Highway 93 to the north side of Golden, and turn west onto Road 70, Golden Gate Canyon. Follow this winding paved highway up into the mountains until it drops down into the Ralston Creek Drainage<\/a> \u2013 there is a sign for the park and the Visitors Center. Unless you have a pass, buy one at the Visitors Center, and drive east along paved Road 57, which leads down Ralston Creek. After about 3 miles there is sign for the Nott Creek parking area \u2013 turn north and park immediately in the first parking lot. Be sure that your State Parks Pass is displayed in your vehicle\u2019s front window. This is the best place to start your climb up Centralia.<\/p>\n

Centralia Mountain is partly surrounded by private land, and there are no designated trails to the summit. Climbing and activating this peak requires good navigation and route-finding skills. There are probably several reasonable ways to climb Centralia, but private land and limited access reduce the good options. I found a surprisingly efficient off-trail route up from Nott Creek.<\/p>\n

Walk south from the parking area, cross the paved road, and then cross Ralston Creek on a foot-bridge west of the large barn.<\/p>\n

\"Bridge<\/a>

Bridge over Ralston Creek<\/p><\/div>\n

Look carefully and find an informal path that leads up the steep ridge south of the children\u2019s play area.<\/p>\n

\"Start<\/a>

Start of Trail at Playground<\/p><\/div>\n

Climb about 100 vertical feet up to the ridge top, head uphill and west, and ascend near the top of the ridge.\u00a0Continue climbing for several hundred vertical feet, and reach a large area where the forest has been cleared, probably for wildfire prevention.<\/p>\n

\"Cleared<\/a>

Cleared Forest on Centralia looking NE to Blue and East Blue Mountains<\/p><\/div>\n

Stay within the cleared area, and climb south to the highest point that has been cleared. This leads to an interesting ridge that is easy to climb.<\/p>\n

\"Centralia<\/a>

Centralia Ridge Ascent Route<\/p><\/div>\n

There are several rocky points along the ridge that must be passed on one side or the other. The last of these \u201cmaxima\u201d – near 8920 feet – has an exposed rocky knob from which you get a good view of the east side of Centralia Mountain. Take a good look, because visibility is somewhat limited in the forest. Backtrack down and pass the knob on the south side. The remaining part of the climb is forested, but the lower part is relatively open.<\/p>\n

\"Centralia<\/a>

Centralia NE Top Part<\/p><\/div>\n

The last thousand vertical feet up the east side of the mountain may be climbed directly. An ascending traverse heading southeast works well. Aim for a point several hundred feet southeast of the actual summit. If you aim for the summit, the slope is steep and covered with rocks that have come down from the top. The lichens on the rocks are slippery when wet. Heading southeast of the summit is more pleasant and avoids the rocky areas, and there is a natural route that goes right up toward the summit. There are useful game trails up there, and although there are some downed trees, most of them are easy to get over. This is an incredibly easy off-trail route, considering the length and the 2200 vertical feet of ascent required. A GPS is good for route-finding on the last steep section \u2013 the summit is not visible from down in the woods.<\/p>\n\n\t\t